Heaven Denies
by Bean Sprouts
Summary: Jonouchi suddenly finds himself in "Paradise," a mountainous city where the residents have super-powers and are hostile toward humans. He's never heard of it before, and thinks he's dreaming. Even so, he is a fugitive in this strange place.


Disclaimer: I do not own _Yu-Gi-Oh!_, the characters from the show present in this story, or the _Yu-Gi-Oh!_ trading card game. I just enjoy watching the show and playing the card game with my family. 

Dedicated to: My subconsciousness! Dreams are my most effective inspiration.

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"Heaven Denies"

The roads were an absolute mess of uneven pebble-paved roads and mud. No one had taken any care with the streets or the buildings in this part of the town. It was maze of endless slums, the houses at first crowded wooden apartments that rose to block the sun like a thick forest, and later gradually scaling down into architecture of worse and worse condition. Everything was nailed as tightly shut as possible, as if the inhabitants feared for their very lives. Jonouchi hadn't seen much of anyone recently except his chasers, a group of black-clad men with various deadly weapons and mysterious inhuman abilities. Only the make of this crowded sector had slowed those four men down. With their unusual speed and ability to jump three stories like the characters in movies, Jonouchi normally wouldn't have stood a chance against the policemen. This obviously wasn't a movie where he too could almost fly. 

_Damn, I wish it was a movie, _Jonouchi reflected as he nearly fell. His tennis shoes skid across the muddy ground while he attempted to sharply turn a corner. This way down looked even darker and more complex then the area where he had started to lose his chasers. They had begun chasing him in a more open area where the roofs were flat and mostly the same height. Here, the alleys were dimly lit roads and the buildings low and close together. It was possible if one of those policemen jumped on one of these houses, it would collapse under him. Even with their abilities, he had heard how hard they had sometimes landed. They couldn't escape gravity forever.

Jonouchi took a chance to rest after he made three more turns, and slumped against one of the buildings, unpainted and gray in the few rays peeking through the eaves. His chest felt like fire, but the feeling slowly eased off as time passed. It was so silent those few minutes, and Jonouchi realized with great relief he had lost the policemen. He allowed himself to take a break and just sit down. Arms were slung across his knees in an almost relaxed position. He just listened as water dribbled down the crude apartment and hit the road in large splashes. It had rained hard here recently.

Where ever "here" was the man didn't know. He opened his eyes, a knot of nervousness forming in his stomach. Now that he had lost the men, he didn't know where he was. The slums of this city were obviously _big_, and judging by the behavior of the locals he had met earlier, any people here would be equally hostile. He had been minding his own business at a street market, looking around for something to buy. Jonouchi had been about to buy a river pearl bracelet for his sister Shizuka when those four men had scattered the consumers by yelling "Human!" Masked and of obvious prowess, they had quickly come in his direction both by running on the road and over the rooftops. The dark-haired woman he had been buying from quickly took his money, and then pushed him away in disgust. Somehow between those policemen nearing, and the woman yelling "disgusting-human-get-out-of-here-now-you've-bought-from-me" at him very fast, Jonouchi had gotten a clue and started running for his life. 

__

What did I, the duelist extraordinaire Jonouchi, do to get chased by superhuman movie men? Jonouchi finally got up and walked out of the small alley, blinking as he passed into bright sunlight. The next street was an actual street, and Jou was now able to see the front of these buildings. Some of them were falling over, and a few stone stoops stretched out from doorways. Jonouchi came out between a one-story building with a small vegetable patch in front and another with a beaten-up bike leaning against the wall. The sky was still as overcast as when he had been in the market. This area was a little more prosperous than the quarter he had just passed through, he having gained the impression of concrete-and-rotting wood residences. There were not many people who owned cars here, which Jou could see the reason for. Paradise (the name of this city) was so compact in the Lower Quarter no one needed a car, _Yeah, I'm human. So what? Ain't everyone else a human?_

An uncomfortable answer to that particular question nagged at his mind. Jou had to guess the answer was _no_, everyone else was not human. This world had seemed to be inhabited by humans until he discovered they had springs and rockets in their legs. On the other hand, he was human, and evidently not supposed to be in Paradise. At least Jonouchi knew that it wasn't his fault that he was in Paradise. He had no memory of buying a ticket to a city he had never heard of.

Jou shook his head and stared up at the sky, "So how did I gethere?"

Jou had never been to Paradise before. In fact, he had been at his apartment, finishing off the evening with a large meal. He had gone to bed with a full stomach, completely tired due to that day's events. Jou was sure he had gone to sleep, and had "woken up" standing in a street market. With a full wallet, his deck, and the urge to explore, Jonouchi had started to shop and ask questions. It wasn't until the chase had it occurred to Jonouchi he might be dreaming. Many people didn't realize they were dreaming when they did, but from the fear and the shock of the situation, he had been forced to realize he _was _having a nightmare.

_Awful real for a dream though, _Jou nervously laughed, _Now when do I wake up? _

There was no glowing answer to that particular question. Time and events were going at a realistic, life-like pace, leading Jonouchi to feel he was "stuck" in Paradise. According to his watch, he had been in Paradise for about two-and-a-half hours. Nothing was changing abruptly like it might in a dream, and the sensations he was experiencing were _not _dream-like. Now that he was not being chased, Jonouchi's body temperature had cooled down. Having just rained in the mountains, where Paradise was situated, it was really chilly. He was also feeling sick-like and weak right now for no apparent reason, except that it could be a reaction to his odd experience.

Jou now had to face that this might not be a dream, and there was no waking up.

Jonouchi looked up at the slam of a door across the street. A kid of about fourteen or fifteen walked down the step and on to the road, sticking something in his back pocket. He hadn't cared about the door, even if it looked fragile enough for any action of that sort to cause it to break. He crossed the street and went up to the door of the house two down from Jonouchi's hiding place. The boy didn't even have to knock on the door since his neighbor had anticipated his visit. His neighbor was an older girl with short red hair. Both of them had the same kind of rough look. It likely wasn't very easy to live in this section of Paradise.

"The Duel Monsters tournament starts in twenty minutes Arca! Do you have everything ready?" the boy asked his neighbor. Arca bit her lip, and stared down at the small purse she wore. Jonouchi's ears perked up at the words "Duel Monsters," and he guessed the girl's deck was in her purse. She looked apprehensively at the ground, and answered her friend in a soft voice.

"I'm not sure I can do this Raemar. I'm not that good at the game," she sighed, but her friend was just annoyed by her fear.

"This is a good chance to get out of this hole. The money prizes would be a help to either of our families, and you're old enough to compete in the contest for the house in the Highland Quarter. Think about it: you will have to share the apartment with the other winner, but it will be paid for. You'll own the place and won't have to pay rent. Its location is also really good." Raemar answered firmly. Jou's mind was spinning around over the concept. This tournament was for an apartment? There were also other prizes involved. It sounded like this was a major event, but he was extremely curious about it.

"Maybe I should try _next _year, Raemar," Arca tried once more to evade him. Raemar shook his head and smiled, and took Arca by the wrist. He pulled her off the step, and she reluctantly started to walk with him down the road, no longer protesting about going. 

Jou watched them for a minute or two, and finally stood up and walked after them. Slowly, he followed them for several blocks all the way to the Duel Monsters tournament. He knew he had reached there when they arrived at some kind of abandoned field filled with people, creating the kind of noise he hadn't heard since being in the market. The best of the situations he had anticipated happened. No one even noticed him. There wasn't as much of a difference between humans and these people as Jonouchi had thought. They were quite similar, and he blended right in.

Jonouchi had decided to follow them on a spontaneous impulse. He had asked for a glowing answer, and here it was. He still played Duel Monsters often, and it had always been in his nature to never turn down an invitation to a duel. In the back of his mind, Jou knew he had to do something about his situation. Whether or not this was a dream, Jonouchi might be in Paradise for a very long time. Essentially he knew he must survive, and get himself into a position to learn more about Paradise, why they were so hostile to humans, and how to get home. Those men might also still be looking for him. As man who was a fugitive and didn't even know why, Jonouchi could only follow his instincts. 

(~0~0~0~)

End Part One

October 19, 2003


End file.
